Navy chief: Gay marriage reversal a policy decision

Posted: Saturday, May 14, 2011

By Lee Shearer

The Navy reversed course on its decision to allow gay marriages in Navy chapels to make sure new policies are in line with what other service branches adopt after the planned repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell - not because of pressure from Republican legislators, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says.

Mabus spoke to reporters Friday in Athens shortly before giving the commencement address at the University of Georgia.

Military policymakers must address more issues besides rules about who can get married in military chapels, including issues such as benefit entitlements, Mabus said.

Under existing policies, partners of gay and lesbian service men and women are not eligible for benefits, he said.

"The aim was to make sure we are all on the same page at the same time," he said.

Mabus testified in Congress in favor of repealing the federal Don't Ask, Don't Tell law last year as the Obama administration moved to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

"The country is ready," Mabus said Friday.

Everyone knows gays and lesbians serve in the military, he said.

"What we're talking about is whether they can be honest about it and whether we can be honest about it," said Mabus, who is also overseeing an expanded role for women in the Navy.

The Navy and other branches of the service should reflect America's diversity, he said.

President Obama signed the repeal law late last year, but similar policies remain in place for now while military administrators develop new rules.

Navy officials announced last month a change in one policy, saying gay and lesbian marriages could be performed in Navy chapels.

But the Navy rescinded that directive Tuesday, days after 63 Republican federal lawmakers wrote Mabus saying the marriage proposal would violate the national Defense of Marriage act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Mabus also talked about moving the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School from Athens to Rhode Island - a costly move, he said.

"There's a lot of up-front costs," particularly when the goal is consolidating, not simply shutting down, he said. "So far we have been writing checks more than we've been saving money."